The Australian Wagyu Association (AWA) is committed to its mission statement of adding value to the Australian Wagyu industry.

The Association plays a major role in improving the quality of beef for domestic consumption. This includes:

Wagyu strengths

Carcase Production

What the Japanese customer wants

Calving ease

Marbling

Fertility

Softer fat composition

Quiet temperament

Meat texture is finer

Versatile adaptation to environments

Not excessive back fat

Early female maturity

Rib eye Yield

The Association is the 10th society to upgrade the software used to manage the Wagyu pedigree and performance database.

Australia's Wagyu industryThe introduction of Wagyu cattle to Australia has been a costly, long-term project as there has been no protocol with Japan for direct imports. Initially, the Australian herd was greatly influenced by a shipment of five fullblood animals exported from Japan to the United States in 1993. These included the two bulls; Michifuku and Haruki II, and the three cows; Suzutani, Rikitani and Okutani.

These cattle were followed by three further shipments of live cattle. In 1995, there was a major shipment from the famed Takeda farm stud of Mr Shogo Takeda. The Takeda shipment comprised 37 cows and 5 bulls. Four of those bulls qualified for semen shipment to Australia.

The most significant importation of live cattle took place in January 1997 when the first live fullbloods came into Australia. The Wagyu breed is gaining strength and popularity as it becomes more apparent to Australian beef producers that there is a real need and demand for quality carcasses that derive from the marbling prominent in the Japanese genetics.